Instant impact: Brandon Snyder again helps lift Red Sox

Brandon Snyder has only started two games for the Red Sox, but he has doubled up on big hits in a Boston uniform.

Snyder delivered with runners on second and third in his first game, doubling to deep center field and driving in Daniel Nava and Ryan Lavarnway for his first two RBIs with the Sox. Snyder also came up in a clutch spot in the bottom of the ninth in that Sunday contest, when his one-out single turned into the winning run on a walk-off error.

So when Snyder came up with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning Tuesday, it should have come as no surprise when he drove a long fly ball off the upper part of the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. Sure, Snyder was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple on the play, but the damage was done. The 26-year-old had made his mark again, and gave the Red Sox a lead they would not surrender en route to a 4-1 victory.

‘I had a little flashback of the other day when Toronto was in town,’ Snyder said.

The at-bat was even more impressive because of the process that led up to the hit. Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin got ahead in the count 1-2 before Snyder went to work, fouling off three straight pitches. After taking a ball, Snyder hit a line drive down the left-field line that landed less than a foot foul.

Snyder returned to the batter’s box after the foul ball and delivered with his biggest hit in a Red Sox uniform.

‘In that particular at-bat he fouled off a number of pitches,’ Red Sox manager John Farrell said. ‘This is a guy that has been a good offensive player in the spare time that he has played with the Rangers and a little bit with Baltimore and what we have seen in the couple of games he has played for us.’

Snyder has provided that necessary spark at third base in the two games he has started for the Red Sox. He already has five RBIs, which is more than Middlebrooks had in his last eight games with Boston, and the same number that starting shortstop Stephen Drew(whose hamstring injury last week led to Snyder’s call-up) has in his last 18 contests.

Call-ups that make an immediate impact are becoming a bit of a common occurrence for the Red Sox. In Darnell McDonald‘s first game as a Red Sox, he hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning before hitting a walk-off single in the ninth inning. Daniel Nava had a similar case, as he hit a grand slam in his first pitch as a member of the Red Sox.

Snyder has bounced around a bit in his first few seasons in the majors, as he has spent time in both Baltimore and Texas. Snyder only played 16 games with the Orioles before playing 40 games with the Rangers last season. For him, he is just hoping he has found a spot where he can stick.

‘It’s one of those things where I’ve had a lot of opportunities in the past,’ Snyder said. ‘I’ve taken advantage of them but I’ve also squandered a few. It’s one of those things where you’ve just got to take them when you can.

‘This game will chew you up and spit you out really quick and it’s very quick. I’m almost in my 10th year and it feels like just yesterday I signed so anytime you get a chance to come in and try to make a difference, try to do the best you can, hopefully it works out.’

Whether or not Snyder emerges as the next McDonald or Nava is still to be determined. For now though, Snyder is proving to be a highly productive depth option at third base.